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Saturday's Internet Edition, July 31, 2010.
Wilton applauds removal of floodplain from SOI
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Photo by Fran Soto
Wilton Action Group members hold signs of protest at the standing-room-only Elk Grove City Council meeting on Wednesday, April 14 where council members voted 3 to 2 to remove the Cosumnes River/Deer Creek floodplain from their Sphere of Influence (SOI) application.
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By Fran Soto
River Valley Times Reporter
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Over 200 Wilton residents applauded and cheered as Elk Grove City Council members voted 3 to 2 to remove the Cosumnes River/Deer Creek floodplain from their Sphere of Influence (SOI) application. The vote came after a lengthy four-hour session, which included 24 area residents speaking during the public comment period.
Council members Gary Davis, James Cooper and Vice-Mayor Steve Detrick voted in favor of removing the floodplain that runs through Wilton from the SOI. Mayor Sophia Scherman and Councilmember Patrick Hume voted against.
Wilton Action Group (WAG) members came to the meeting sporting numerous signs of opposition. WAG has remained steadfast in its opposition to inclusion of the floodplain in the SOI because of water issues in Wilton. The floodplain serves as a watershed to recharge water levels in the area for surrounding wells and serves to collect excess water during winter and spring storms.
WAG members have stated throughout the process that - if development occurs in the floodplain - excess water could then cause a serious flooding potential for Wilton residents. Although Elk Grove has stated there will be no development in the floodplain, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city and Sacramento County has a clause saying changes can occur if both city and county agree. WAG has feared that, as time passes and new city staff and council members come on board, the floodplain could be developed.
As the council meeting got underway, it was standing room only at the back of the chambers and in the corridors of the building. Many of the attendees had been involved with the issue at hand as far back as 2007 when the City of Elk Grove began studying the possibility of expanding their city limits through the SOI process.
drawing their proposed boundaries, which included the floodplain, Elk Grove submitted their application to Sacramento County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) in 2008 despite opposition from WAG, which formed at that time in response to the SOI application.
All sides of the SOI proposal, however, were aired during the public comment period at the council meeting. The main opposition to removing the floodplain from the SOI application came from four farming families whose parcels extend into the floodplain. Several members of these families stated that they felt Elk Grove would do a better job as steward of this unique floodplain than Wilton or Sacramento County.
The landowners also said that they envisioned their farms in the future to become places of learning for schoolchildren, with public access to the river leading to a site to study history. After the vote was taken, Scherman told those present that it was "too bad that the landowners will not be the ones to decide what they will do with their own land."
Most attendees and speakers at the council meeting disagreed with Scherman. They included environmental groups, concerned citizens, Sacramento Farm Bureau and WAG members.
Bill Kutzer, one of the founding members of WAG and leader of the group, strongly addressed the city council regarding the floodplain. “This question of the floodplain keeps coming up over and over again, and you keep saying there will be no development in the floodplain,” said Kutzer. “The bottom line is you need to take the floodplain out of the SOI and get out of the way and focus on the things that will benefit the citizens of Elk Grove.”
Kutzer’s sentiment was echoed by Councilmember Davis who called for the actual vote on removing the floodplain from the SOI application. Davis has been vocal in his opposition to extending the Elk Grove city limits to the Cosumnes River and voiced these concerns at a press conference held in front of the council chambers before the meeting. “It is time for the City of Elk Grove to refocus and get back to the business of growing jobs, the local economy and strengthening our neighborhoods,” Davis said. “We have no business going into the floodplain.”
Davis reiterated his stance at the meeting before asking for the vote. “We have got to fix our jobs and the housing imbalance,” he said. “We need to drop the floodplain. It causes us to lose our focus and gets us distracted.”
In addition to the press conference, a rally was held an hour prior to the council meeting. Residents of Wilton, Franklin and Elk Grove met in front of the council chambers for the rally sponsored by Elk Grove Coalition Advocating Proper Planning (EGCAPP). WAG members wore their customary hats and bandanas, and many sported hand-lettered signs that they carried later into the council meeting.
Kutzer joined Linda Ford with EGCAPP and Davis and Detrick to speak to those assembled at the rally. “We’re fired up. There have been enough listening sessions, and it’s now time for action,” Kutzer said. “We want the floodplain out - enough is enough.”
The final vote on the floodplain was the culmination of three years of organized resistance. WAG members, as well as residents of Elk Grove, have voiced their opposition by signing petitions, writing letters and appearing before LAFCo. WAG has also met regularly as a group and invited guest speakers to help their members learn more about the unique and sensitive nature of the floodplain as well as the SOI application process and status.
According to Kutzer, the Elk Grove City Council's vote to remove the floodplain that runs through Wilton satisfies him and his fellow activists. "The vote tonight removes WAG’s opposition to Elk Grove’s SOI application now before LAFCo," Kutzer said.
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Online publication, Copyright 2005, The River Valley Times.
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